A Fateful Meeting
by LadyJessy
Summary: --V's story: 2/3-- A changeling rogue, now known as Viper, is caught trying to break into a wealthy Lord's estate. However, when the Lord of the manor returns, he offers her a deal she can't refuse. But can this unusual wizard be trusted?


Author's Note: All the characters in this belong to be and were not taken from any known or published D&D characters. I am very happy with how this turned out, so please review and tell me what you think of it:)

One Fateful Meeting

"Why am I doin' this again?"

Pix shot a quick glare at me before returning to pick the lock. Pix was a couple of years older than me, around 16 or 17 probably, and was better at lock picking that I was. Thus, why he got to pick the lock. "Because you owe me one, that's why."

I heard the lock click open and I glanced around one last time. I didn't really expect to see anyone though. Almost everyone was at the other end of the city, enjoying the fair that had come to town.

"You do realize," I whispered as was slipped inside the lavish foyer, "that I'm worse than a clumsy orc at these kind of things, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware of your reputation, but out of the two of us, you're the only one that can look like the lord of the manor if we run into any servants. _Which_," he whispered furiously, "wont help us much _if you don't change_!"

I sighed and shifted my body into that of the tall, thin man we'd shadowed all morning at the fair. I now had long, black hair that fell to the center of my back. Using Pix's waterskin, I slicked back my hair in the same manner as the original. My nose was now long and straight, centered over a thin mouth on a face with chilly blue eyes. I stood up as straight as I could, and the look was complete. Now I looked as if I belonged in the finely made closed I'd nicked the day before.

"Happy?"

"Very," Pix said with a grin.

"So now are you going to tell me what we're lookin' for?"

"It's a silvery-grey cloak, and that's all I'm gonna tell ya. You'll know it when you see it."

I looked at his suspiciously. "Are you kiddin' me? That what we're doin' here? Nickin' a cloak?" I narrowed my eyes. "What's it do?"

"You owe me, right? So just shaddup and do what I tell ya."

"Are ya sure it's here?"

"I've been tryin' to track it down for a long time and hand to grease a lot of hands to get this information. Now start lookin'!"

As we predicted, there was not one in the house to disturb our search. After combing through the first couple of rooms, Pix decided we should split up.

"But don't go too far, 'kay? There still might be servants lurkin' around."

"I'll just be upstairs. If anyone sees ya, just tell 'em that you're a nephew of a friend and ask 'em to go get me."

He nodded and returned to the closet he was searching through.

A growing sense of unease filled me as I climbed the stairs. This was too easy. The lock on the front door had been simple, there had been no people to see us, and there had been no traps or other means of security thus far. Nothing went this easily, at least not for me. I pushed away the memory of the last time I broke into a place; I didn't want to jinx this attempt with the failure of my last.

I found what we were looking for through a door that I almost missed. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen the door during my first sweep of the study, but maybe it was just nerves that was making me miss seeing the obvious.

The room through the door was big. Bigger than I would've thought it should be for the size of the house and the placement of the room next to this one. This new room was full of strange smelling herbs, vials filled sickly looking liquid and technical instruments, some of which I could guess at their use and others I didn't even want to know what they could possibly be used for. Bookcases covered most of the walls and were stuffed with dusty old tombs, most with titles in languages I couldn't read. It was obvious this was the man's real study.

And along the far wall hung a silvery-grey cloak. Just as Pix's had said, I knew that this was the cloak he was looking for. It was beautifully made, and seemed to absorb the flickering candlelight instead of reflect it, as one would expect.

I was five steps into the room when I felt strong magic swirl around me. I didn't even have a chance to fight it before it solidified around my wrists and ankles.

"Shit."

I couldn't believe my stupidity. I'd been checking all the doors I'd opened for signs of traps or spells, but it hadn't even occurred to me to check the floors! It was an armature mistake, and I would've beat my head against the wall if I could've moved. I briefly considered calling out to Pix for help, but if anyone else was in the house, we'd both be caught. I just had to hope that he would come looking for me soon.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. I soon hear someone rummaging around in the other study behind me. Despite the fact that I could no longer move my wrists or ankles, I still tried to twist around to see through the open door behind me.

"Pix!" I hissed.

He looked up from the dresser he was rummaging through, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"There ya are! Where have ya. . . . Shit, what happened?" He whispered as he cautiously approached.

"I don't know. It's some sort of magical trap! But I found the cloak. So now you can get me out of here, we can get the cloak and we can get the heck outta here!"

I glared at him as he moved in a wide circle around me, shivers slightly, and grabbed the cloak.

"What do you think I'm gonna be able to do to get ya out? Sorry, but I think your on your own for this one."

White hot anger seared through me. "And if ya leave me here like this, I'll tell whoever finds me where just who took that cloak and where they went!"

Pix face darkened. "Ya owed me, and you took a blood oath that you'd help me. What do you think the Thief Lord would do if I told 'em you broke your oath?"

I fumed at him; I knew what the Thief Lord did to oath breakers in his guild.

"I hate you."

Pix face softened. "I hope ya get outta this, I really do."

"I hope I never see you again. Consider my debt paid."

"Done," he said solemnly as he edged back around me. The cloak was already firmly tucked in his backpack.

I tried to hold onto my anger at Pix, but as minutes turned into hours, my anger slowly morphed into fear and then into panic. The spell showed no signs of fading and my legs ached with the strain of standing in one place for so long. My wrists chafed at the invisible shackles.

By the time I heard the door to the first study open, I was relieved. By this point, anything had to be better than this endless waiting–even being caught.

"Hmmm. . . . and what little fish have I caught today?" A cultured voice asked from behind me.

I struggled to turn to look at him and saw his eyes widen in surprise when he saw I was wearing his face.

"An interesting fish indeed," he murmured and a light filled his eyes that made panic flutter in my chest. He walked forward and grasped my chin, forcing my body to twist even more painfully towards him. "A perfect likeness, I think. Very impressive."

He released me and I turned away from him to relieve the pain in my neck and back. The man walked further into the room and glanced around, his eyes resting on the hook his cloak had hung on. He turned to face me.

"It seems your accomplice has taken my cloak," he said, almost calmly. "That is not acceptable."

He began to chant and I knew suddenly that he was a caster and whatever spell he was casting, I wouldn't like it and would probably be painful. I struggled futilely against my shackles with rising panic.

Then he stopped chanting and I felt his magic begin to seep into me. I tried to fight it, to fling it off me, but it continued to worm its way into my head. Then it was over and I felt all my panic melt away. When I looked at the man in front of me, I knew without a doubt he wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

He was smiling and I felt myself smile back.

"Now," he said kindly, "lets get rid of this other spell, shall we?" He mumbled something under his breath, and the restraints fell away.

"Thanks," I told him, still smiling.

"It is no problem, little fish. No problem. However, it is rather awkward looking at my own face. Would you mind slipping into a form that is more comfortable?"

I relaxed into the body I arrived here in, the one that the thieves guild knew as Viper.

"Much better, much better," he said. "Now, little fish, lets go into my study and so we can talk." And he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and guided me into the first room. Once we were both seated on the couch, he said, "Now, I much have my cloak back, little fish. It's very important to me. You must tell me who took it and where they have gone."

"Pix took it."

"And where is Pix?"

I wanted to tell him, the answer was on the tip of my tongue, but something inside of me fought it. Something told me I couldn't tell him.

I sunk down into the couch, physically shrinking myself to get as small as possible. I knew that he would be mad if I didn't tell him, and it would make his smile go away. I desprately wanted him to keep smiling at me.

"I can't tell you. . . ." I said in a small voice.

His smile disappeared and it almost made me want to tell him everything I knew. Almost.

"Why not?" His voice was hard.

I tried to push myself even further into the couch. "I wanna tell you–I do!–but you don't know what the Thief Lord would do to me if I told ya. . . ." I whispered.

He smiled again, and I sat up a little straighter and gave him a small smile back.

"Is that all, little fish? There is nothing to fear. You know I wouldn't ask you to do anything that would get you in trouble or cause you harm. I will make sure you are protected. Besides," and now he had an odd look in his eyes that I couldn't place, "that cloak is dangerous. You wouldn't want Pix to be harmed, do you?"

At the mention of Pix, my anger came rushing back. "Let 'em keep it! He deserves whatever he gets, that son of a–"

"Language!" He said sharply, and I sunk back into the couch, my anger ebbing. In a softer tone, "But surely, little fish, you have other friends that you don't want hurt by the cloak's dangerous powers."

"No. . . . no other friends."

"Family, perhaps?"

"No. . . ."

I looked at him, and he was grinning. My heart fluttered in my chest, glad that he was happy with me.

"Then. . . . you have no one waiting for your return, child?"

"No. . . ."

"Then I have an excellent proposition for you, child. If you tell me where my cloak is, I will allow you to live here with me. I will become your family and I can protect you from any retribution the Thief Lord might try to inflict. My child, you'll never have to return there again."

I sat up, shocked. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Isn't that was fathers do for their children?"

I grinned at him, excited. "I've never had a dad before."

"Well, now you do, as long as you tell me where my cloak is."

I told him.

"Excellent. Excellent." Then he grasped my chin and turned my face from side to side. To anyone else, his expression might have been scary, but I knew that my father wouldn't hurt me.

"Yes, yes. I think I'll keep you, little fish."

Fin

So, what did you think? Please give me feed back! And extra brownie points if you can tell me which spells were used in the story:)


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